The British Virgin Islands team which recently secured a bronze medal at the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball (ECVA) U23 Women’s Championships in Dominica, was greeted with a celebratory ceremony at the Terrance B Lettsome International Airport on Tuesday following their arrival into the territory.
The team defeated host Dominica in three straight sets to secure bronze in Group B, which also consisted of Antigua and Barbuda Dominica, St Maarten, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Anguilla.
Present to welcome the team were officials from the BVI Government, the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports, the BVI Tourist Board, the BVI Olympic Committee, the BVI Volleyball Association and family and loved ones.
Speaking at the ceremony, Acting Premier Hon. Lorna Smith described the territory’s performance in sports regionally as simply outstanding when assessing the success of BVI teams competing in various sporting tournaments in the region.
She also highlighted the four athletes who received 5 of the tournament’s top individual awards for their outstanding performance.
Minister for Education, Sports and Youth Affairs, Hon. Sharie De Castro, said the government wanted to ensure a special welcome-back celebration was held for the athletes to recognise the significance of the achievement.
Meanwhile, the President of the BVI Volleyball Association, Willis Potter, highlighted the contributions of Coach Jacqueline Weeks and Assistant Coach Stephen Payne to the success of the team.
The ECVA top awardees Kristin Abraham (Best Blocker), Anna Gordon (Best Blocker), Kayla Jacinto (Best Setter) and Aman Bispham (Best Digger & Best Libero) each spoke briefly on their takeaways from the competition.
